Part 2: 2016 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo

Part 2: Beverages

I found the Zevia booth. I had previously tried one of their sparkling sodas (black cherry) when I was at a local gas station. I bought it on impulse; it was inexpensive and I like black cherry soda. At the booth, I tried their ginger ale and their cola soft drinks. Very tasty! There are no caramel coloring to any of their beverages – so they are mostly clear. Their beverages are sweetened with stevia so you don’t have to feel guilty about drinking soda! I’m also excited about their own line of all natural energy drinks!

I stopped by the Moreno BH LV booth and sampled their rose prive and brut champagnes. Their rose prive is made with Mendocino pinot noir grapes, “creating a lively expression of assertive fruitiness and fresh summer berries with a light rose nose, creamy texture and smooth finish…the brut is a collaboration of Mendocino chardonnay, pinot noir and French Colombard grapes. This creates a rich expression of balanced ripe exotic fruit, not too dry nor too sweet with a light honey apple nose and a smooth finish.”

They create custom designed bottles for clients all over the country. I took a quick video of some of their water bottles. Some are amazingly beautiful!

Sparkling ICE had a booth with a wide variety of samples. Sparkling water everywhere! I got to try three different samples – my favorite was the Half & Half (iced tea and lemonade mix). I even got to take a whole bottle home!

The next vendor really blew my mind. Premium Blend is a company that produces wine-based liquors that restaurants can use to make cocktails – while only having a beer and wine license.

I took a shot of coconut rum, sangria, and tequila. All of which were created from wine. It’s super crazy how authentic they tasted – like the real thing!

The final beverage sample was from QTrade Teas & Herbs (based in Cerritos, California). Their tea bags are shaped much differently from your typical tea bag. While other commercially manufactured tea bags are small and square, the QTrade bags are pyramid shaped. After speaking with a rep at their booth, he explained that their design is unique in that it allows more of the tea to be infused with the water (compared to those typical bags). I tasted their hibiscus tea and it was really great! Just enough sweetness without being “too sweet”. I’m sure if they had an unsweetened version that I’d like it just as well.